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lolajh's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
So much angstier than my usual reads; focuses on a quite toxic and realistic relationship that is just full of heartbreak and unhappiness and not like the usual romcoms I tend to go for. This book is also written in a lettered poetry verse format addressed from one of the main characters to the other, never once saying either of their names, a fascinating stylistic choice by the author I quite like. I felt like I was very much in the head and situation of the main character writing in first person (and second person too I guess), every line written in verse so beautiful and so much more personal when it’s written by the characters themselves. There are also time skips in this book, jumping from the present to the past that all comes together at the end to explain “the fire” event titling one timeline’s chapters. The fact that the author was able to tell a story that could be recounted through solely verse, plus skipping through events in time, was incredible and so fascinating how similar it was to a story told in first person but so different at the same time because of this lettered structure that is the main character addressing her love interest, and makes what is being written so much more personal and raw than it would’ve been if it had of been written in any other way.
And the story. So incredibly heartbreaking and something that is so real and relatable to a large majority of relationships that don’t always go perfectly and showing the bumps along the way and heartbreaks and acceptance that when you aren’t getting something you want and deserve, to understand you deserve better and to move on in order to be okay with yourself independently from a relationship and knowing your worth. Such a beautiful piece and so different to anything I’ve ever read before.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Alcohol, Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Grief, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Racism, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Child abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Mental illness, Police brutality, and Religious bigotry
sambortle's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“Whoever came up with that phrase must have forgotten what it’s like to be a teenager.
What it’s like to feel foreign in your own family, your own head,
your own body,
your own life.”
“I was armed and ready to be overtaken by the ocean of you. There was only one problem: prepration for a coming storm won’t save anyone in a fire.”
From acclaimed author Ashley Woodfolk comes NOTHING BURNS AS BRIGHT AS YOU — a contemporary YA novel in verse that is as searing as it is breathtaking. In equal measure heartbreaking and reflective, NOTHING BURNS captures the complexities of female friendship, the intensity of first relationships, the grief of heartbreak, and the fine line between obsession and love in a way that only poetry truly can.
Told in second person narration, NOTHING BURNS follows two unnamed queer Black teen girls through a mixed timeline alternating between one single, cumulative day — the day of The Fire — and a whirling montage of the years leading up to it. As the novel tracks the history of their relationship, the reader is given a front-row seat to its intensity, enormity, and uncertainty. Reading NOTHING BURNS feels like being dropped back into your first true heartbreak as Woodfolk’s main character describes the confusion of losing your footing — and yourself — within a relationship. I would be as quick to recommend this book to a teen experiencing a breakup as I would to their parent as a visceral reminder of what it actually felt like the first time your heart was ripped from your chest.
While NOTHING BURNS does verge on the abstract at a few points, Woodfolk’s skills truly shine as she anchors the story in vivid, concrete places that act as touchstones for her narrative — most notably, the bridge that opens and closes the novel. Told stunningly with taught and lyrical language, NOTHING BURNS is a white-knuckle read from its opening line to its culmination. You won’t want to miss this one, and trust me when I say — do NOT skip the author’s note.
Thank you to @versifybooks and @this_is_edelweiss for the eARC.
CW: drug and alcohol use, fire
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Alcohol and Drug abuse
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